“Is anyone else feeling like this game just got a whole lot weirder?” Marcus asked.

“How many eggs were in that nest?” Sarah asked, turning back around, as if she meant to count them but Erik already knew that was hopeless. The shells were scattered everywhere, crushed and fragmented. The ground was soaked and muddy. There was no way they would be able to work it out.

The nest site was a chaotic blend of shattered eggshells, blackened mud, and rain-churned debris. Broken fragments glistened faintly under the pale, diffused light filtering through the swamp's thick canopy, while the surrounding ferns sagged under the weight of the persistent drizzle. Pools of dark water reflected the twisted shapes of nearby trees, their gnarled roots snaking through the muck like veins. The air was thick and heavy, carrying the mingling odors of decay, damp vegetation, and the faint acrid stench of the black goo clinging stubbornly to the remnants of the eggs.

“When the game mentioned aberrant boss’s and sub-boss’s I didn’t think this is what they had in mind.” Erik said. It only took another few seconds of searching the area over to give it up.

“No less than six eggs, but possibly more.” Sarah said.

“How did they get like that though?” Marcus asked, “that’s what I wanna know.” Erik would've dismissed the question, but the nature of the game made him reconsider. Usually a game mechanic was exactly what it seemed. There were several reasons why E.L.E might have aberrant versions of dinosaurs, but as he considered it, he began to question why the game bothered with the hatching process at all. There was no reason fully formed dinosaurs couldn’t just appear out of the player's sight so what purpose did adding the extra step with the eggs serve? Games always had shortcuts to spawn enemies, so why go through the trouble of crafting this bizarre scene? It felt deliberate—like the game wanted them to notice.

Well we certainly noticed, Erik thought. So what now?

Maybe it was something as simple as building tension, but it was unusual for this kind of game to have any deeper narrative. Battle Royales didn't extend past the premise, if they even bothered with that much. But maybe E.L.E was looking to redefine the genre.

Whatever it was, there was certainly more going on here than just a simple; kill the other team while trying not to die yourself gameplay loop.

“I think it's getting dark.” Marcus said, pulling Erik out of his thoughts.

“How can you tell?” Sarah asked, which was not an unfair question. The rain was coming down so thick and fast the world was already in a permanent state of twilight. Any lessening of the light had to be incremental.

“I can tell.” Marcus assured them.

Erik squinted at the horizon, realizing Marcus was right. The light was fading, though it was hard to tell with the rain already dimming everything. Shadows deepened under the trees, their roots twisting through the muck like skeletal fingers. Pools of water mirrored the darkening canopy, and the swamp’s usual buzz of insects seemed quieter, replaced by the steady drum of rain. The world felt heavier, the air thick, pressing down on him as if the swamp itself was preparing for nightfall.

Erik wasn't willing to call the day off just yet. Not with their next growth stage looming. So they set out again, traversing the swampy waters between islands and Erik found himself wishing for the jungle where they'd first spawned. Anything but the squish of mud under his feet, the brown water that hid any number of dangers, and the sickly sweet aroma of perpetual decay.

When they did find themselves a sub-boss, they were lucky. Lucky that they saw it before it saw them.

Identify

Species: Stegosaurus

Status: Sub-boss

Age: Sub-Adult

Disposition: Hostile/Territorial

Species Information: ?

It was alone, at least as far as Erik could tell. It was also massive, likely weighing more than the three of them combined. It took plodding steps through the water, head down as if to avoid the drops of rain. Its skin was a rough, pebbled texture, awash in pale greens and browns.

Erik had a hard time imagining how much bigger the animal could possibly get, despite the game telling this was not a fully grown specimen. It already boasted the full armament for which the species was famous. Thick, diamond shaped plates cresting down its back, all the way to the thick keratinous spikes that curved wickedly out of its tail.

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It was moving at an angle to their own path, and had they all kept going as they were it was very likely they would have walked right into one another. Now, if they didn't move or make any noise, it would pass them by and they were faced with a choice. Fight, or not.

A choice that was made for them when, with a series of rapid, splashing footsteps, a raptor appeared out of the rain, its hide a shiny, crimson. Slick with moisture Erik had the brief impression the raptor was actually covered in blood, an impression that became nearer the truth as the Stego pivoted faster than anyone expected. The raptor’s screech tore through the rain-drenched air as it narrowly avoided the Stegosaurus’s tail. The spikes cleaved through the space where the raptor had been an instant earlier, leaving a violent ripple in the water. The red raptor darted in again, clawing at the Stego’s flank, gouging a line of red before moving away again. Erik didn’t see any reason to pass up the opportunity. He was certain the raptor was a player, though they appeared to have already progressed to the Adolescent growth stage.

“Guess we’re doing this,” Erik muttered, lowering his frill. “Sarah, go left.”

Marcus growled deep in his throat, his Rex crouching low as he prepared to charge.

The Stego’s bellow drowned out all other sounds as it turned to face its crimson tormentor. Its plates quivered with each thundering step, and its powerful tail swung in a wide arc, forcing the raptor to leap back again.

“Move now, while it’s distracted!” Erik barked, charging forward. His frill dipped low as he plowed through the muck, aiming to ram the Stego’s side. Marcus roared and followed, his heavier frame thundering toward the massive herbivore.

Erik hit first, his horn gouging into the Stego’s side. It wasn’t a deep wound—its hide was thick, tougher than Erik had anticipated—but the force of the impact staggered the sub-boss. It bellowed in anger, swiveling its head to glare at Erik as its tail lashed out wildly.

“Too close! Move!” Sarah’s shout cut through the chaos. Erik scrambled back, narrowly avoiding the deadly spikes as they whistled through the air inches from his head.

The red raptor darted forward once more, its claws aimed for the Stego’s vulnerable flank. This time, the Stego was ready. With a sudden pivot, the massive herbivore brought its tail around in a brutal arc. The raptor screeched as it tried to dodge, but the slick mud betrayed it. One of the Stego’s spikes caught the raptor’s side, tearing through flesh and sending it flying. The raptor landed with a splash, skidding across the waterlogged ground before coming to a limp stop. It let out a pained hiss, struggling to rise, but its back leg gave out beneath it. Erik caught sight of the bright crimson blood pooling around the injured player as they dragged themselves back toward the safety of the trees.

Guess they’re out. Erik thought, and he only hoped that the Stegosaurus had been wounded enough for the three of them to finish it off without any grievous injuries of their own.

Sarah, in a daring display, used Marcus as a springboard and used her powerful legs to launch herself high in the air. Limbs splayed she arced up, over the Stego’s line of sight, while it was distracted with the raptor and Erik, and landed square on its narrow head. The beast bellowed in alarm and rage, thrashing wildly from side to side, trying to throw her off.

Before it could succeed, Sarah leapt away herself, splashing down in the mud and darting away to a safe distance. The Stego, did not relax despite the fact it no longer had a raptor hugging it’s head. Spinning wildly, it’s tail swiping at everything and nothing, and as it spun back toward him Erik saw it. Sarah, in her moment aboard the Stego, had used her clawed forelimbs to blind it. Blood streaked down its head as the large herbivore tried bitterly to fight enemies it could no longer see.

“Move around it, keep it turning.” Erik called to his friends, and the three of them spaced out. No longer feinting into range, but only growling and roaring every time the stegosaurus faced away. The blind dinosaur turned, and turned, slowing as blood loss and exhaustion overtook it.

The Stegosaurus's movements grew sluggish, each turn more labored than the last as its strength ebbed away. Mud clung to its legs, and its sides heaved with effort, the bellowing roars that once shook the swamp reduced to shallow, rasping breaths. Water rippled gently around it, stirred only by the faint twitches of its tail and the slow shifts of its massive body. Erik held his position, his muscles taut, watching carefully as the creature faltered. The swamp felt quieter now, the rain’s rhythm softening in his ears as the tension slowly unwound.

When it finally collapsed onto its side, dizzy and drained, Marcus didn’t miss his opportunity. With several heavy, splashing steps he rushed the stego. Its tail twitched feebly as it heard his approach, but that was the last of its token resistance before he clamped his jaws around its head and crushed it in a single, powerful flex of his jaw muscles. The dinosaur shivered, and the notification popped up.

Notification:

Stegosaurus defeated:

Team Legacy has defeated it’s second sub-boss, with assistance from Team Unbreakable

Rewards:

Unique Sub-Boss Mutation Token awarded to: all participants.

399 Evolution Energy Awarded to: Team Legacy (divided)

30 Meteorite Fragments Awarded to: Team Legacy

Reward:

You have gained: 1 Sub-Boss mutation token

You have gained: 199 Evolution Energy

Erik exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, the tension in his body finally easing. The rain still drummed against his frill, the swamp quiet now save for the steady patter. As the glow of the notification faded, he glanced at Sarah and Marcus, both of whom were no worse for wear, and already digging into the dead stegosaurus. The raptor that had initiated the fight, who was apparently from Team Unbreakable, was nowhere to be seen, and only then did it occur to him that they’d had no teammates, at least none that he’d seen. They had engaged the sub-boss entirely alone. Likely they hadn’t even known Erik and his team were nearby. With a shake of his frilled head and a snort, Erik dismissed it. This game was a madhouse.